A Stitch in Time

Jen —  July 16, 2010 — 9 Comments

Because a few of you asked (and because I love to share) this is the project I was working on during the infamous Sports Mentor video. I’ve just started playing around with embroidery thread because I was inspired by Anthropologie’s kitchen towels. Every year, I try to convince my family to make handmade gifts for everyone at Christmas. They say no, but I do it anyway, so these are probably what they’re getting. i.e. Mom and sisters speak up now if you want something different. Love you.

I spent about $9 on the 3 tea towels, $14 on thread and needles (but I bought a large amount of both that will last me forever, so I don’t count that in the price) and spent about 12 hours total on the bottom towel. I was so excited at how they turned out, but now I understand why they’re so expensive. The first only took 2-3 hours and the second is still in the draft phase.

I’ll probably have some patterns available online soon if anyone wants to try their hand at embroidery. It’s fun and pretty and girly and Christmas gifty. Who wouldn’t want to try it?

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A Wing and a Prayer

Kyle —  July 15, 2010 — 1 Comment

We have these friends (Bryan and Morgan) and they have this trip and they need your support. They don’t need money, well they did, but some of you already supported them in that way.

They’re leaving for Ethiopia tomorrow and they’ll be gone for 10 days. They’ll only have running water and electricity every other day. The problem is they get to come back. The people they’re going to be speaking with and ministering to…well, they have to stay (unless our friends bring one back…and at this point it’s probably 50/50, maybe 60/40). And they (both the Ethiopians & Bryan and Morgan) need your prayers.

I heard this saying once, that you should never tell people you’re going to pray for them because you’ll never remember. You should always pray for them first and then tell them what you prayed for.

So here’s what I want to do…if you guys are willing: pray for one of the following things and then go here and leave a comment telling them what you prayed for. Seriously, take 10 seconds, say a quick prayer, and let them know. I literally did it as I was writing this…

NOTE: I would also link to a blog of the Ethiopians they’re going to visit but they probably have entire villages that don’t have enough disposable income to buy a computer…that’s not really meant to be a joke either.

Anyway, here are the prayer requests:

  1. Safety in their travels – All I know about Ethiopia is that they grow fast marathoners and have wild animals, pray they run into the former and not the latter (you thought I wasn’t going to make an Ethiopia/runners joke?).
  2. Wisdom in their words – Matthew 10:20 – For it is not you who speak, but the spirit of the Father speaking through you.
  3. Understanding in the hearts of the Ethiopians they minister to.

Thank you to everyone who prayed and sent them a message.

Have a blast Bryan & Morgan!


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Marriage Equals Shareage

Jen —  July 14, 2010 — 10 Comments

There are the obvious things you sign up for in marriage. Sharing a household means cooking an occasional meal for the other person, sometimes washing dishes you didn’t eat off of, and keeping your stuff off the floor. I don’t even mind you using my toothbrush now and then, and I’ll even wake up a little early to make you coffee some days. But marriage is such a tease. It lures you in, one cute fuzzy moment at a time, and then it asks you to give everything.

There are dreams you have as a brave 24 year old woman that don’t hold water in a marriage. Suddenly your nights of independence fly by in a blurry haze of grocery shopping and cooking and cleaning and work talk. And the cute little apartment you’ve always dreamed of having is shared with posters of athletes and smells like boy. And so you form a new dream. Except that you can’t form it on your own because you’re only one half of this intricate twisted mess that God has thrown together. And I’m rarely grateful for only one half.

Kyle dreams dreams of things I can’t understand, of doing things neither of us can put our fingers on. He has an incredible job that we’re both thankful for, but he longs to start something on the side, to grow and cultivate something real and good and true. And there is risk in dreaming, for when you find the one thing you’re meant to do, it requires your whole heart. To him, it’s an entire universe of possibility. To me it’s simply maddening. Why can’t he just want one steady job like a normal person? You didn’t marry him because he was a normal person. What if he wants to start a side business and we lose tons of money? It’s only money. Yeah but our kids! Our kids need diapers and clothes and food. You don’t even have kids. Stop being dramatic.

And he dreams a new dream every week.

“We should try this…” or “What if I started this company?”

I bet he hasn’t even prayed about this and that’s just not fair.

“I really want to write for a living. What if I just started writing for a living?”

Seriously? You just have readers sitting around ready to shell out dollars?

“What if we just sold all our stuff and moved to Georgia?”

Don’t say mean things. Don’t say mean things. Don’t say mean things.

Some days it’s fun to dream. And some days I just want to hold my breath and stomp my foot and stay right where we are. Yet I have a feeling that our dream will be ever changing, that some days it will be solid and some days a complete mess. But this is life, and it’s messy and sometimes scary and usually unpredictable. And so I trust in my husband to lead us in whatever direction the Lord takes him. While I work on being encouraging and uplifting and a much better wife than I am right now. God knew what he was doing when he made men the spiritual leaders. No, it wasn’t a misprint, no, he wasn’t just joking around, and no, I am not an exception to the rule. There is joy and freedom in that if only I will open my eyes.

Tomorrow will be a new struggle. But today, I follow you.

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Dream Small

Kyle —  July 13, 2010 — 33 Comments

We were sitting on a plane flying on our honeymoon to Hawaii. I was a century of pages deep in a Malcolm Gladwell book when Jen nudged me on the shoulder. I thought she might be changing her guarantee of a Nigeria vs. Chile World Cup final when she pointed to a section of an article she was reading about this group of guys in Maui who grow, raise, and sell taro chips. The quote she was was pointing at went something like this: “We have been very successful with our business and have grown enough to expand our market. However, we are dreaming small, we are keeping our business under control, and providing very quality products to our customers.” Note: I think I wrote that “paraphrase” as if the guy was Asian, not Hawaiian. Go back and read it with an Asian accent in your head and try to not laugh.

Anyway, we aren’t here to dissect native dialects. The point is this: this guy passed up more money and greater glory because he’s always dreamed small. I could barely believe I was reading the words he was saying. It was borderline heretical to everything I’d ever been taught, everything I’d ever believed. Here was this Hawaiian farmer raising cane and spitting a blasphemous theory that flies in the face of the teachings of all the great leaders and wondrous inspirational figures we’ve ever known. The craziest part was that it kind of started making sense to me.

We have these friends who live in Perry, OK, population 5,230 (not including cows). They own and manage a cleverly named coffee shop and just started a church there. I haven’t discussed it with them in-depth but I don’t think they have any aspirations of taking down Starbucks VIA an Oklahoma-based-breakfast-serving-church-gathering coffee shop. And I think if you were to ask them that’s probably not what they want either.

I enjoy pretty simple things. I love to write. I like to throw the baseball. I enjoy books. I’m fascinated by small businesses. I’ve fallen for the state of Georgia. My life is not some grand melodrama played out on a bright stage in front of the whole world. I love my wife. I like to take trips. I want a dog. And I’ve started dreaming small. I’m beginning to understand that life is not meant to be lived boisterously. It’s meant to be lived by doing that one thing you were put on Earth to do, and to do it well.

I want to encourage those of you who have been so faithful in reading this blog. Stop dreaming dreams that would make Rupert Murdoch blush. Dream small and carry those dreams out. Dream well and perform masterfully. Be faithful with the one or two things God has imparted upon you that you do better than anyone else.

At my wedding I had a short conversation with my high school baseball coach about what he was up to, where he was working, how he was doing. Last I had heard he was employed at a corporate tree-trimming company. He stared at me after I asked him what he was doing as if I should already know: “I just took another head coaching job in Houston, Kyle. I was put on Earth to coach baseball so I guess that’s what I have to do.” There was a shade of sarcasm in his voice as if he was laughing on the inside at the very notion that he had even tried to have a different job. He could coach anywhere in the country, at any level. But he chooses high school because he dreams small, lest anyone scoff at the notion that his dreams not be adequate with the cultural norm. Never have I had so great a non-related influence on my life. He taught me the great devotions and the great enthusiasms. Because he dreamed small I learned to know both victory and defeat.

Dream on.

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The O’BB Muffs

Jen —  July 12, 2010 — 6 Comments

As we promised this weekend via Twitter, here’s one of our new favorite recipes: Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins. We stole this from Kyle’s mom over the 4th, and made them for the two of us when we got home. They were gone within 15 hours which makes me feel really guilty and really excited to share all at the same time. We’re not sure how healthy they actually are, but they taste healthy, which is a bonus. They have more texture and less goo than normal bb muffs. Plus if you take out the vegetable oil, the sugar, and everything else that makes them taste so good, they’re actually not that bad for you.

My very technical notes:

I had quite a bit  of the liquid leftover, so don’t feel like you have to use it all.

Also, I think “fold in blueberries” just means you should make sure not to smash them.

For extra deliciousness, top warm muffin with a little butter and sugar sprinkles.

And voila. Healthy tasting, still-not-sure-how-healthy-they-are blueberry muffins. Have you tried any great recipes lately? Post one of your favorites below and we can all steal ideas and look like great cooks.

Oh, and click on the recipe if you want to see the awesome website that helped us create our post today!
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Tourists in Our Own Town

Both —  July 11, 2010 — 3 Comments

There’s something I’ve always loved about the notion of being a tourist in your own hometown. Right now we don’t have an option: we are tourists. It won’t feel like home for quite some time, so for now, we explore. But it’s easy to become familiar with your surroundings when you immerse yourself in the same environment every day. So today, we challenge you to this: Visit one “new to you” thing every few weeks. Pick one new shop, one new park, one new historic building and check it out. Your town is much cooler than you think it is. Promise.

This weekend, we chose the Bishop Arts District. Here are a few things we found:

Soda Gallery in Oak Cliff

The guy who ran this place was one of the most intriguing people we’ve met in our time here in Dallas. Part salesman, part entrepreneur, part soda lover, he explained to us how he started his business over 4 years ago. He and his partner now sell vintage(y) sodas for $2.50 a pop. Pun intended. He also explained that they sell online and host various parties and events. The wheels in Kyle’s head were spinning faster than he could ask the guy questions. I thought he was going to offer to serve sodas and M&Ms for minimum wage at one point. We promised said business owner that we’d link to his website. Here it is.

Wanting these props for our kitchen...

Cream soda + orange drink = love

Yes, there are things you can't buy at Wal-Mart...

The best part about going to fun places like this can’t be found in the eccentric stuff you can buy or look at it. No, the best parts are the ideas and creativity gleaned from being immersed in such goodness if only but for a short amount of time. We were completely silent on the way home (save an NPR story or two) as both of us got lost in thoughts of business, entrepreneurship, making, creating, giving, selling, and living. Sometimes production comes of those thought sessions, sometimes not, but we always love getting there, to that state of dual solitude. It makes marriage seem mysterious and magnificent even when it sometimes isn’t.

Oh, we'll be back Bishop...we will be back...

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Roundin ‘Em Up

Kyle —  July 10, 2010 — 2 Comments

It’s rainy here in Dallas this weekend which means baseball games have been rained out and thrift store trips have been cancelled. Instead, we’re staying in, baking, muffins, drinking absurd amounts of coffee, writing blog posts, and reading articles, stories, blogs, tweets, facebook threads…basically anything we can get our hands on. Here’s a solid collection we think you might like:

Kyle
I had a conversation with one of my best friends on Thursday afternoon, we were talking about how sick and disgusted we were with the LeFestivities and yet we both admitted (sheepishly) that we were drawn in, fascinated, that we would both watch “the decision.” It should have been called “the derision”…here are two great articles summing up what sport has become to us, the Y generation. The second one is one of the best articles I’ve ever read. Enjoy…or don’t. LeBron I | LeBron II

Yesterday I posted about a girl who has an amazing blog about motherhood and life. Here’s her husband’s blog, it’s even better…and his posts are a LOT shorter than ours.

Jen
I was crushed when I found out Domino, the greatest magazine of all time, was shutting down. Here’s a semi-similar digital mag called Lonny. Clicker beware, you could get lost for hours.

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SportsMentor

Kyle —  July 9, 2010 — 33 Comments

This is an experiment. Well, this marriage, yes, is an experiment, but also this video is an experiment. We wanted to throw something random out there and see if you guys liked it. This is me teaching Jen about sports and getting her thoughts on LeBron, World Cup, and The British Open. To me it’s some of the funniest candor I’ve ever seen. To you…it might be stupid. If so then move along and go read this girl, she’s awesome. If you only have 30 seconds…Jen insinuates that Portugal is in South America at 2:15 and the real fireworks begin at 3:26.

Oh, and yes, the title is very much a play on words…

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9 Things We’ll Always Buy Used

Kyle —  July 8, 2010 — 13 Comments

Houses – When my wife says she “cherishes character over shiny new things” all I hear is money swirling down our vintage, century-old leaky drain. It’s ok though, I can live with that because she’s not kidding, old really is better than new. We just have to choose the right kind of old.

Cars – This is more of a financial decision than anything else.

Furniture – I’m not going to say we’re NEVER going to buy new furniture, but that’s the mindset right now. Like, if I get into a 3-car accident with Dirk and Mark Cuban tomorrow and they both write me a blank check I’m not opposed to purchasing a few leather accessories (that sounds terrible) to sit on. Honestly though? I prefer the junk my wife buys for pennies on the dollar and refurbishes. I also like building furniture. Although bookselves and desks that would take a normal person 3-4 hours take me 4-5 months…

Books – You can one-up the “buy it used” mantra here. Just trade for it. Or get it for free.

Baby clothes – We don’t talk about this one. In fact, why are we still on this, let’s move on.

Artwork - Every time we’re in Target I find myself staring at their artwork thinking “ooohh that looks so original and awesome, let’s buy it.” Then I become cognizant of the fact that 2,000 other people did the exact same thing at Targets around the nation that day. So it’s not awesome and it’s definitely not original. So we don’t even buy artwork used…we just make it.

Golf clubs – I’m not hitting a 3-iron pure whether it’s used, slightly used, brand new, or Ben Hogan himself forged the metal with which it was made…so I might as well go cheap.

DVDs – Buying new DVDs feels like buying toilet paper, you’re rarely (hopefully) using either one more than once. With the advent of Redbox, Netflix, and Hulu what have DVDs become other than placeholders for home collections? And DVD collections are SO 2002.

Big people clothes – This is one we’ve been discussing for a few days. We’re thinking about not purchasing any new clothing for the next year. I just asked Jen if that meant I couldn’t buy a polo at The Masters next year. She said “you’re the one who made the rule” in one of those voices that makes you want to climb a large tree and jump head first into a pool of seething tar. So I guess that’s that. I’m sure we’ll revisit this paragraph multiple times over the next 11 months…(personal caveat: I’ve been told that shoes and undergarments are the only two things we’re allowed to purchase new – and I thought I was making the rules!)

Enjoy “The Decision” – we won’t be watching.

What kind of stuff do you always buy used?

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Shop Thrift at Thrift Shops

Jen —  July 7, 2010 — 13 Comments

I can’t remember the last time I bought something new to wear. I bought a few new things for our honeymoon (see how that turned out here), but I rarely shop to buy new clothes. There’s something so compelling about walking into a thrift store, never knowing what you’ll find, but expecting to be inspired. I do it for many reasons, but mostly because I love finding beauty in things someone else threw away.

Here are my favorite reasons to shop thrift:

1. Your house will look like yours- not anyone else’s.

I don’t sign up for Pottery Barn catalogs. They’re gorgeous, and in brief spurts I love things that match and don’t have scratches or dents. But that’s dangerous for two reasons: it’s not me, and it tugs on my heart to spend more money than Kyle has I have. So I pick things that have a story and that inspire me to creativity.

2. It makes me learn new things.

I learned how to re-cover an old chair, not by taking a class, but by trial and error in my own little space. I’m learning to hand embroider because I love Anthropologie but I can’t afford their tea towels. I make pillows out of old scarves because I love the fabric and the total project costs $3.84.  Thriftcore says it like this: The “if only” forces some creativity on your part to create the perfect item. Suddenly you remember how to sand, paint, and use the saw. You’re a creator again. And the more creativity you use, the more you have. So says Maya Angelou, and so say I.

3. It’s cheap.

I never want to pay more than $3.99 for a shirt again. And thanks to people who tire of their clothes, I’ll never have to.

Tomorrow: the pledge we’ve taken as a married couple to buy used things and a list of things we’ll never buy new. In the meantime, get inspired at Thriftcore and ReadyMade.

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